"We’ll certainly keep Matthew in mind" - Visma DS admits Brennan might've earned himself a Tour nomination at 2026 Vuelta
CyclingTuesday, 15 September 2026 at 09:00
The 2026 Vuelta a Espana turned out to have been a tremendous success for Visma | Lease a Bike. The Dutch team started with the goal of stage hunting. They won seven of them, and in addition secured a points jersey for Wout Van Aert, and a 5th place overall with Sepp Kuss.
In particular the last achievement was an unplanned bonus the team picked up along the way, also with a bit of luck. Sepp Kuss kicked off the Vuelta well, but drop all to way to 11th position during second and third week, and it seemed like a top-10 battle would be the American's maximum goal.
But Visma, being the masters of last-stage raids they are, plotted a long-range attack for Kuss. With the help of Bruno Armirail, Wout Van Aert and Jorgen Nordhagen from the breakaway, they managed to drive Kuss far enough from his GC rivals to leap-frog all the way into 5th position.
A pleasant bonus
"The general classification wasn't the primary goal this time around, so we are perfectly happy with how the race turned out," sports director Marc Reef told De Telegraaf afterwards.
Sepp Kuss and Jorgen Nordhagen cross the line on Stage 20 of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana
In any case, the main focus of Visma was the sprints with Matthew Brennan, and breakaway activity for Wout Van Aert. Both parts of the plan were executed without a flaw. Brennan won 5 of the 6 bunch sprints at the Vuelta, and Van Aert added two more stages through breakaways. And in addition, both riders worked together enormously well.
"The fact that the race went so well for our team owes a lot to the qualities of Matthew and Wout van Aert. We already knew what Wout was capable of, though you still have to go out and deliver."
Unlike the experienced Van Aert, Brennan's Grand Tour debut could've gone any direction. Although there were no doubts for Reef: "We had a lot of confidence in Matthew, despite him being only 21. He had already demonstrated his capabilities in sprints following tough stages - something he’d shown in races like the Volta a Catalunya and the Vuelta a Burgos."
However, the final haul of five victories was beyond even Reef's predictions. "Winning five stages is truly sensational. On one hand, he doesn't surprise us, because we knew what he was capable of, but he certainly took a massive step forward in his development here. It’s a shame Christophe Laporte had to drop out, but the team managed to cope with that well."
Brennan wants Tour
After his fourth stage win, Brennan spoke openly about even bigger ambitions. Next year, the Tour de France starts in Edinburgh, Scotland. The British rider would love to have a shot at a yellow jersey there. But will he get a chance in the team so focused on Jonas Vingegaard's attempt to win a third Tour de France title?
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"First of all, it’s great to hear how ambitious he is, but we won’t look at the scenarios for the coming year until this season is over. That’s when we’ll set our goals for each of the Grand Tours and see which riders fit the bill. We’ll certainly keep Matthew in mind when doing so," Reef indicates that there is still hope for Brennan, also depending on what Vingegaard's ambitions are.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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